Your SFPD Is Hiring—Here's How To Apply [Sponsored]

Your SFPD Is Hiring—Here's How To Apply [Sponsored]

Photos courtesy of the San Francisco Police Department

Sponsored
Published on May 02, 2017

If you’re looking for a career that directly serves your community while keeping you on your toes, you’re in luck: The San Francisco Police Department is actively recruiting.

By the end of the 2017-2018 fiscal year, the department aims to hire 150 entry-level officers—and interested candidates are encouraged to apply now.

While seeking eligible candidates, the SFPD has been actively working to ensure that the department is as diverse as the city it serves. Recruitment officers regularly visit neighborhoods and events across the city to meet potential candidates of all ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, and host monthly workshops to help women prepare for their physical fitness tests.

The application process starts with an online application, followed by a national law enforcement exam. Eligible candidates who pass those initial hurdles move on to the Physical Ability Test, a pass/fail examination that assesses whether you're physically prepared to perform the essential functions of a police officer and successfully complete the rigors of academy training.

SFPD hosts regular workshops to help potential recruits prepare for the physical fitness test.

The next step in the application process is the Oral Interview, also a pass/fail test, which analyzes candidates' problem-solving and oral communication skills, as well as other interpersonal abilities.

Candidates who successfully pass all three exams may then move on to the background investigation process, which includes providing personal and professional background statements and undergoing additional examinations, like medical and psychological tests.

According to the SFPD's recruitment division, the department looks for “ordinary people” who are willing and able to go to "extraordinary" lengths for their community. Candidates must be US citizens with no felony, domestic violence or misdemeanor convictions. Potential candidates must also be at least 20 years old to take the initial exam and 21 years old to receive an appointment in the department. Additional eligibility requirements are available here on the SFPD website.

On paper, the application may sound a bit arduous; "San Francisco's finest" aren't born overnight. But each step ensures that candidates accepted into the police academy are mentally and physically equipped to serve and protect the community and their fellow officers.

And, throughout the process, personal and professional growth can be expected. In the video below, officers Ronny and Rodney Freeman—identical twins who grew up in Visitacion Valley—describe how humbled they felt as they graduated from the police academy in 2015. 

For more information on the eligibility requirements, application process, salaries and benefits, visit sfpdcareers.com.

[Editor's note: This is a sponsored post written by freelance writer Brittany Hopkins.]